Tag Archives: tramuntana

Andro Vid Mihičić was born in the idyllic village of Beli on the island of Cres on 26th March 1896. He was an art historian, professor and poet. At an early age he enjoyed nature and philosophy. He was educated in Paris as a Franciscan Tertiary Friar and there he graduated from the Faculty of Art History at La Sorbonne. During the Second World War he joined the anti-fascist movement as a military chaplain. In 1944 he left the Franciscan Order. After the war he was chosen as professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. He only began to publish his poems when he was 92. Here are some excerpts from his beautiful short poems, translated from the original Croatian into English, which accompany the sculptures of Ljubo de Karina on the trails in the forests of Tramuntana on the northern part of the island of Cres.

Testament I have no sons, no grandsons. To whom shall I leave my poem and my dream and the great wings of foreboding which in infinity flap? To you, my people! From you I sprang, through you I return to immortality so I flow through the underground again with the flowers in the fields I blossom and build stalactites underground for a temple of beauty and dreams. All to you and only to you, my Croatian people.

When I arrived in Beli it was dark. Stables full of dying sounds. Gorges and glens full of ghosts and spectres, the sea full of stars and the sky, full of deep secrets and an infinite blueness.

Have you ever heard flowers talking at night? Around us everything is full of secrets. Even in a rock life is hidden – nothing is dead.

Life is also hidden in a rock, dreamt of, but it’s there. Hit it, you’ll hear its heart beating.

What are you looking for – a flower asks me – In the mist in front of the ruined houses In the darkness even trees pray. Talk to me, wind, about the sun On the field.

Nature cleanses the man, It fills him with power of the mind, instinct and the forces of life, And reveals a secret of modesty.

On the cliff near my village griffons build nests into the sky they dive they circle they rise up and defy the storms.

*****

His poetry accompanies the sculptures of Ljubo de Karina on the eco-trails in the forests of Tramuntana on the northern part of the island of Cres.

A bust of Andro Vid Mihičić is placed on the side of the parish church in Beli in his honour.

Beli – the idyllic hilltop village on the island of Cres where Mihičić was born.

Full texts:

The Testament
I have no sons, no grandsons.
Whom shall I leave my poem and my dream
and big wings of Foreboding
that wave in the infinity?
To you, my people!
From you I sprang,
through you I return to immortality
to ring through the underground
and like a flower blossom in the fields
and build the shapes in underground
for a temple of beauty and dreams.
All to You and only to You,
my Croatian people.

————–

When I arrived in Beli
it was dark.
Stables full of dying sounds
Gorges and glens full of ghosts and phantoms
the sea full of stars
and the sky
full of deep secrets
and indefinite blueness.

————–

Kneel before the truth,
Knock and pray before the door of the secret.

————–

Roads and dreams and sorrows travel
with no shadow or trace on the road.
Loneliness dashes and smiles to the day
that climbs the hill
while the ants carry
their load silently.

————–

Those who search for beauty, find God.

————–

Have you ever heard flowers talking in the night?
Everything is full of secrets around us.
Even in a rock life is hidden
-nothing is dead.

————–

It is hard to tread on the earth without
having support in the clouds.
Only those who search discover the truth,
the treasure, themselves and other worlds.

————–

On hills, in forests, on meadows
the word of the soul is louder.

————–

Life is hidden in a rock,
dreamed of, but present.
Hit him, you will hear his heart beat.

————–

Light to everyone, everyone
until they notice the growth of a tree
in a grain
the beauty of a leaf on a thorn
and a brother in a worm
until they feel the brotherhood with
the bird, the wolf and the doe.

————–

Life without religion is like desert
swept by desert winds.

————–

What are you looking for – asks a flower –
Here, in the mist in front of the ruined house?
Even trees pray in the darkness.
Talk to me, wind, about the sun
On the plough-land.

————–

You who sit on the throne of the Secret
Unknown
Eternal
Mover of the world and the universe…
I am looking for you.
I wander through the spaces
of the centuries and worlds,
… and call your name all the time…

————–

Nature cleanses the man,
It fills him with power of the mind,
instinct and living forces,
And unveils the secret of modesty.

————–

Spirit is cleansed in the beauty of the nature,
it is being calmed,
it becomes wider and deeper.

————–

Stop and let me hear
the grass waking up
to the light
and offering itself to be kissed by the sun……

————–

He is silent
and he is lighting the stars
to shed light on the paths and ways,
tracks and roads
and minds
that lead to the Truth.

————–

On the Crown near my village
griffons nest
into the sky they dive
They circle
They fly up
and challenge the storms.

————–

I always come back to you, oh bella Libella,
difana snella
with no veil
as you fly like an arrow –
over a well
by the water, near the water
always in the light and
world of the freedom
twinkling, easy
woven from searays
Libella, si cara, si bella, sorellaA.V.M.

B2 size poster on behalf of the Eko-centar Caput Insulae Beli on the island of Cres. The poster highlights of the northern area of the island known as Tramuntana. It was posted at tourist points all over the island.

‘Tramuntana’ a guide to the walking trails of the northern part of the island of Cres. This 56 page tourist booklet was printed in 4 languages, Croatian, English, Italian and German using InDesign multiple layers to minimise production costs.